Spice Market

A timeless paean to Southeast Asian sensuality, Spice Market lights up Manhattan’s Meatpacking District with Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s piquant elevations of the region’s street cuisine served in a casual, sexy atmosphere. The celebrated chef collaborated with designer Jacques Garcia to create a transporting interior of Eastern exotica. A valuable collection of artifacts was imported from Rajastan, South India, Burma and Malaysia to transform the airy two-level space, including antique wall carvings, screens and pagodas. Custom-made colonial style furniture appointed with white leather is mixed with Oriental period pieces such as wooden Thai and Chinese porcelain garden stools. Plush embroidered curtains made of French fabric from Lelievre, upbeat ambient music and the soft, mood-enhancing glow of Herves Descottes’ lighting complete an Oriental cocoon worlds away from the neighborhood’s bustle. A rich color palette of violets, indigos, ochres and deep reds balance the former warehouse’s raw timber beams and teak floors from a 200-year-old Bombay palace.

Inspired by the street food Mr.Vongerichten enjoyed while traveling in Southeast Asia, Spice Market’s menu authentically uplifts its inspirations while offering guests the additional delight of family-style dining – food comes continuously throughout the meal and is placed at the center of table for all to share. With each new dish, patrons are transported to the idealization of a Vietnamese street market or a Thai food stall. Regional fish sauces, curries and spices are tweaked to tantalizing effect in dishes like chicken samosas with cilantro-infused yogurt, a vinegar-infused pork vindaloo and halibut cha ca la vong. Delicious desserts and vibrant cocktails share the menu’s muse. The former is exemplified by a kulfi made with ovaltine and served with banana brulee and spiced milk-chocolate sauce, the latter by a fruity punch made with tamarind nectar and aged rum. In addition to fresh versions of classics like the Mai Tai and Singapore Sling, Spice Market offers a flavor-categorized wine menu that includes selections from India and Thailand. Resembling the innermost playpen of a Far East palace, the downstairs lounge offers a sanctum in which to sink a little further from the outside world. Open to the dining room above, it is accessed by a descending through a spectacular wedding pagoda reaching to the ceiling. Flanked by a series of luxurious private rooms, the lair below is dramatically illuminated by four light long, cylindrical light fixtures swaddled in lace lingerie, silk and Swarovski crystals. Guests may order drinks and a light menu of Southeast Asian tapas from servers outfitted in Manhattan-based designer Alpana Bawa’s colorful Indian-inspired uniforms.